Supporting employees by fostering a sense of belonging, connection, and purpose.
Culture and engagement aim to support employees by fostering a sense of belonging, helping them connect with the organization and each other.
This strengthens shared values and purpose, creates a positive and inclusive environment that promotes trust, collaboration, and innovation, and supports employee well-being through respect, recognition, and work-life balance.
We strive to motivate and inspire employees to give their best efforts and ideas, foster loyalty and retention by making employees proud of their organization and work, and promote an environment where ongoing improvement, growth, and development are standard.
People + Place Program
The People + Place program is built around WashU Medicine’s mission, departmental core values, and the importance of our employees in delivering our service mission.
Investing in our employees and physical environment is essential to our department’s success. The program was founded in 2017 and relaunched in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goals & Objectives:
- Connect our greatest asset—our people—with the workplace.
- Help our employees and campus partners recognize the importance of our work and its impact on clinical care, research, and education.
- Allow employees to network cross-functionally.
- Show appreciation for our employees.
- Improve communications and connections within our Department.
- Connect employees with University resources and initiatives.
We empower employees to focus on “people,” which we describe as reinvestment in employees as individuals, as teams, in our community, and our services, and “place,” which is the pride and sustainability of the physical environment, continuing to achieve process and cost efficiencies while expanding and enhancing services.
-Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins, EdD, Associate Vice Chancellor, Associate Dean
Previous Events
January 2026 – Mental Wellness & University Resources
December 2025 – Holiday Social
November 2025 – Talent Show
October 2025 – Departmental Update
October 2025 – Explore OFMD Service Areas
September 2025 – Hear from a WashU Top Doctor
August 2025 – The St. Louis Tornado
June 2025 – Click With Confidence: Protecting Yourself Online
April 2025 – Safety Hacks & Active Shooter Preparedness
March 2025 – OFMD Spirit Week
February 2025 – Who Says St. Louis Ain’t Hip-Hop?
January 2025 – Making Health Work For You: Nutrition Tips for Active Workers
December 2024 – OFMD Holiday Social
November 2024 – Enrollment & Mindfulness
October 2024 – Strategic Plan Rollout
September 2024 – Community Service – Dresser Build
August 2024 – Emergency Preparedness
July 2024 – Sustainability
June 2024 – DE&I 1.0 – Awareness Training
May 2024 – Mental Health Awareness: Breaking the Stigma
March 2024 – International Women’s Day Celebration
February 2024 – On Their Shoulders
January 2024 – Fighting Just to Dream: Errol Reid
December 2023 – OFMD Holiday Social
November 2023 – Open Enrollment + Enrich
October 2023 – Breast Cancer Awareness
August 2023 – Alzheimer’s Awareness
June 2023 – Cannabis in the Work Place
May 2023 – Mental Health In the Work Place
April 2023 – NRB Town Hall
February 2023 – DE&I
January 2023 – Talent Showcase
November 2022 – Active Shooter Training
October 2022 – Primary Care & Open Enrollment
OFMD Newsletter
The Continuous Improvement team collects articles from each service area on a semi-annual basis to create our OFMD newsletter.
Published in print and electronically, this initiative is a way for our team to improve communication and connection in the department.
Community Outreach
We engage in community outreach to connect our work with the broader community and make a positive impact on society.
We align our personal and organizational values to demonstrate our dedication to ethical, environmental, and social issues. Our community outreach programs enhance morale and motivation, as employees gain a sense of purpose and connection through participation in meaningful initiatives.
Events
Clothing Drive
OFMD hosted a clothing drive to donate to ReFresh, a nonprofit resale store, and the St. Louis Empowerment Center.
Dresser Building
The department hosted a dresser build for Home Sweet Home.
During this event, we also hosted a bag-packing event. Employees packed personal hygiene and snack bags.
Food and Hygiene Drive
During an OFMD FY25 People + Place event, we hosted a food drive to support our
Environmental Services Pantry and the St. Louis Empowerment Center.
